Giffords pushes for new Nogales border fence

Apr. 13, 2010 05:07 PMAssociated Press

NOGALES, Ariz. - Nogales is not in the congressional district of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. Nevertheless, the congresswoman is seeking $3 million in federal funds to replace a downtown Nogales border fence within the district of U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz.

In filing her request with the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Giffords cited security risks posed by the landing-mat fence, which has stood in downtown Nogales since the early 1990s.

Giffords said she wants a "more sophisticated" border structure.

Giffords' request for the new fencing followed a March 9 meeting of the local Border Patrol Citizens Advisory Board, at which Al White, top patrol agent at the Nogales Station, told attendees that the downtown Nogales fence has become a defensive liability.

White said in the March 12 edition of the Nogales International that Border Patrol agents have found more than 240 cuts in the fence since October, and the Nogales station has spent approximately $750,000 on fence repairs during the past year.
"It's just a constant battle," White said.

Giffords District Director Ron Barber said the congresswoman wants to see something more like bollard fencing — a series of interconnected, concrete-filled steel tubes — and that concertina wire would not be part of the plan.

The fence request is being considered for the upcoming fiscal year, meaning that the funds could be available by Oct. 1, Barber said.

Grijalva said he wished Giffords had consulted with him before making the fencing money request, saying he would like to see a more detailed analysis before committing to a new fence.
"I'm not sure (the request) addresses the real needs of the Nogales area," Grijalva said in an e-mail, noting that the wrong design could have a negative impact on the city's economy.

Grijalva called Giffords' request "a political response that sounds to me like overkill."

The congressman said he wondered why Giffords hadn't made a similar request to replace existing fencing in downtown Douglas, which lies within her own congressional district.

Nogales Deputy City Manager John Kissinger said he was in favor of "any fencing project that (will) protect the citizens of Nogales, Arizona."

Kissinger added that the legal and efficient movement of people through the fencing should not be compromised.

"The economy of the City of Nogales and this region depends on our retail trade with Mexico," Kissinger said.